as in homage
a show of respect or acknowledgement of the authority or importance of another
They made obeisance before the king and queen. She earned herself some political enemies when she failed to make the proper obeisance to those in power.
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Recent Examples of obeisance
Visitors who fail to perform the requisite display of obeisance have faced consequences, as in the Feb. 28 blowup with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
—
Massimo Calabresi, Time, 24 July 2025
But Zuckerberg isn’t the only one paying abject obeisance to the president.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
In the first case, Obama was accused of showing obeisance to a foreign ruler and Islam.
—Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
At the same time, there’s a legion of former Department of Justice officials who fear Bondi’s unique obeisance to this president is undergirding the foundation of an independent Justice Department.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obeisance
Massimo Calabresi, Time, 24 July 2025
But Zuckerberg isn’t the only one paying abject obeisance to the president.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
In the first case, Obama was accused of showing obeisance to a foreign ruler and Islam.
—Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
At the same time, there’s a legion of former Department of Justice officials who fear Bondi’s unique obeisance to this president is undergirding the foundation of an independent Justice Department.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obeisance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obeisance
Noun
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The fedora, angled just so, is his homage to French Resistance hero Jean Moulin.—
NPR,
NPR,
9 Nov. 2025
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Dean’s Cake House Andalusia, Alabama Dean Jacobs' bakery is an homage to the Southern grandmother.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Neena says her respect for older generations began early.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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European leaders coordinated joint responses, insisting any deal respect Kyiv’s red lines, while the administration stressed pragmatic compromises to secure lasting peace.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The salute will take place March 12 (three days before the Academy Awards) at the Ebell theater in Los Angeles, where the Oscar Wilde Awards will celebrate its 20th anniversary.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
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His military salute to the flag during the national anthem got the attention of viewers who wondered whether presidents are supposed to do that.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Queen Corgi All hail, Queen Corgi — seemingly a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth and her love for the dog breed.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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The long inseam makes legs look endless, and the slight acid-wash is a fun nod to the ‘80s and ‘90s.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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One of them was Oliver Gilbert, the bow-tie-wearing, 48-year-old mayor of Miami Gardens — one of the country’s largest majority-Black cities and home to a growing Black middle class.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Really, who wouldn’t want to see a battle between bows and arrows and a hyper-advanced alien species with a penchant for trophy hunting?—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Colloquial slang in reverence to the most maniacal competitors.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In which body and face are vessels, temples of reverence, rather than shame.—
Caroline Rothstein,
InStyle,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obeisance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obeisance. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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